Very Early Fist Feeding

[MadAustringer]

When I was a kid I found 3 downy coops in a fallen nest. I fed them by hand and then off the fist...but it wasn't too long until I got impatient to hunt with em so I started to set up baggie situations and then would just pick up the young hawk and its "kill" so the meal was eaten off the fist. By the time they were flighted they made some noise when they were getting hungry, but were (mostly) quiet after they ate.

I remember that the hawks had constant interaction with people as they were kept on the porch and in the living room of the ranch house on my parents small horse farm. Now, before it sounds like I was doing some sort of intelligently and deliberatly planned imprinting here I assure you that in reality I was just going by the seat of my pants, and a borrowed copy of North American Falconry and Hunting Hawks. (did not know what I was doing was wrong. Released all birds when I figured it out. )

All I can figure these days as to why I did not encounter much aggression is the constant exposure to people and the early bagging... One male was isolated from people and its siblings for a while due to an injured leg he had when I found them in the fallen nest. He was the only one of the three to be scary aggressive that I remember (but it was a long time ago). He was also much more vocal than his siblings. (a big female and a male) The siblings were basically creche reared with people and commotion galore. Pluss daily baggies.



I never imprinted another coop, but have really had some fun with some passage birds since then though

The point of all that? 2 out of 3 social imprint coopers say you can possibly feed off the glove and not fear for your life...In one poorly documented experiment.

great hawkin